Hope
by breakingspring
Summary: I wrote this in April... I'm just lazy. Jeroy.


**I wrote this in April then lost my flashdrive... found it today.**

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Joy was lost; she'd lost all hope long ago. She didn't want to live to see another day. She felt as if she just couldn't continue on with her life, as if she was just beyond broken. Beyond repair. Like no one or nothing could fix her. And she was fine with that. She didn't want to be fixed. She made herself believe that, bluntly. It took all of her will to make it possible, but she removed all feelings from her life, and didn't look back.

This was the night. This was the night she'd leave everything. Everyone. She forced herself to lock herself away from everyone that day, be as invisible as possible. They wouldn't care. Well, they'd care. For a few days. Then she'd just be gone from their lives forever. They wouldn't remember her. As much as she wanted to think they would, she knew they wouldn't deep inside.

She had the pills. She'd stolen them from the nurse's office. The door was locked; a glass of water on her bedside table. There was no turning back now. If anyone walked in now, she'd be shipped off to some mental hospital where they'd try to make her better, if that even meant anything. And if they walked in later, she'd be dead. Whatever happened-she crossed her fingers for the latter-her life was going to be changed drastically.

_One._

_Two._

Was she really going to do this?

_Three._

She took a single pill. Her hand shook frantically as she tipped the bottle to shake another into her hand.

Jerome was just returning back to Anubis House from classes. He was wondering where Joy was. She hadn't come to their last class, drama. Sometimes he worried about her. She just looked so... distressed. He was always the one to go to when it came to those things. He didn't know why; he just always knew how to read people's body language. Joy seemed nervous, unsure, like she was hiding something. And it was true, she was hiding something. Actually, many things. Like the fact she was cutting herself. And how she was suicidal. There were many things no one knew about Joy Mercer, and those were just to name a few. On the inside, she was breaking. She was emotionless, yet she put on a smile every day that could fool millions. But not Jerome Clarke. He'd always thought that Joy deserved someone to call hers, and he'd begun to question whether that someone could possibly be him. Was it true that he was falling for her? He was. He just didn't know how to say it. He slowly approached her room, and took a deep breath as he knocked on the door.

"Joy?" he called, "Are you in there?"

"Yeah," she croaked out, hiding the strain on her voice from the tears that were falling down her face rapidly. She had taken the second pill, and she, whether or not she wanted to admit it, was scared, truly scared.

"Can I talk to you?"

"N-no."

This made him suspicious, he already knew she had something to hide, and was beginning to worry about her intentions in her locked room. "Joy," he sighed, "I'm coming in."

Being the prankster he was, he carried a hair pin with him frequently, and he thanked himself for having it this time. He carefully picked the lock, but was having trouble. Meanwhile, Joy had the third pill in her mouth, and was raising the glass of water to swallow it. Jerome heard a click, and throwing the pin into his pocket again, turned the door handle and opened the door.

"Joy..."

"Leave me, Jerome." she whispered with the little voice she was able to squeeze out past her crying. He sat next to her, first closing the aspirin bottle and stuffing it in his pocket-he made her spit the other pill out-then wrapping one arm around her. He whispered to her sweetly, that everything would be okay.

"Joy. I want you to be honest with me. How many did you take?"

"T-two..." she sighed, being honest with him.

"Okay, you're okay, Joy."

"I just want to be loved like the other pretty girls, Jerome."

"You are loved. And they're not as pretty as you." He laughed, wiping the tears from her cheek as he hoisted her up onto her lap. "All those other girls hide behind makeup. They should wish they were as beautiful as you are, Joy-less."

"But they don't." her small voice squeaked, nervous.

"Look, I came here because I wanted to talk to you. I'm just gonna say it. I like you, Joy. And I know you probably don't feel the same way, but I-" Jerome started, cut off by Joy suddenly kissing him. In the heat of the moment, he didn't know what else to do but return the favor.

"I like you too." she smiled, slightly leaning back after their lips parted.

That was just the one of many good events that were coming Joy's way, though she was unaware. Little did she know, one day she'd watch _their_ daughter walk down the aisle.


End file.
